Why clients might choose a destination wedding in Cuba

CT Magazine’s Jenn Hubbert got married at the Melia Varadero last January with 45 of her friends and family in attendance and has compiled top five reasons she and her husband chose a destination wedding in Cuba.

1. Bluntly put, it wasn’t Mexico. Nothing against Mexico as a destination but many of our guests had already attended weddings or holidayed there before.

2. We wanted to experience Cuba's authentic, distilled culture, from music and salsa to Hemingway nostalgia.

3. The prospect of a Havana photo shoot with a backdrop of the city’s decaying architectural beauty was intoxicating. (Those cars!)

4. A sense of urgency. The restoration of U.S.-Cuba diplomacy had us running to get there ‘before it all changes’ and our guests couldn’t have agreed more.

5. Cuba has some of the Caribbean’s best beaches.

Making the final decision: At the time, my fiancé and I had a handful of countries we were interested in and a few we were decidedly not interested in. Our travel style is a strap-on-a-backpack-and-go than lounging poolside at a resort. Cuba’s distilled culture was right up our alley.

Travel agents should get to know their clients’ interests, hobbies, and travel style. And because everyone is financially motivated, learning that Cuba had a competitive price point compared with Mexican and Dominican Republic holidays, it was an obvious choice.

Bottom line: selecting the country is a top-level decision but the impetus of change in Cuba is a motivating one for Canadians right now.

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Travel agents will be pleased to know that wedding planning with Melia is done with a dedicated point person based in Canada, so there is no need to contact the hotels directly. Melia says this is one of its biggest assets when it comes to destination weddings, as no other chains offer it. E-mail weddings@meliacuba.ca.